Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Support groups grapple with social distance and isolation

    Social connection is crucial to recovery for people participating in Alcoholics Anonymous, but the quarantine mandated by the coronavirus has made that impossible. Support groups across the state of Washington are grappling with isolation and, in response, have started meeting over Zoom instead. This article talks to several participants to get their take on it. One person in particular said that meeting online has allowed them to attend more meetings, and it has been a source of comfort during quarantine.

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  • This is what sobriety in a time of crisis looks like

    As meetings and social gatherings of all kinds have been postponed or canceled altogether, the support group Alcoholics Anonymous faced a particular challenge given the imperative and power of their in-person meetings. Fortunately, many chapters have moved their meetings online, to video conference services like Skype or Zoom.

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  • Overworked, underpaid and lonely: Conservationists find a new community online

    Lonely Conservationists, an online forum that unites conservationists from around the world, has more than 2,500 members and 55 posts by conservationists who share their experiences of being exhausted, undervalued, underpaid, and isolated. Many members struggle with their mental health and the online community has provided a venue where they can get support from other people who understand their experiences. The group cannot solve all of the problems faced by conservationists, but members report building trust and increasing confidence by speaking their truths, with many going on to find jobs.

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  • Responding to Hate

    "De-radicalization" interventions are turning into a business, with former members of extremist hate groups charging fees to deprogram current extremists, using methods based on questionable science. One former member of the neo-Nazi group White Aryan Resistance says his Chicago-based nonprofit, Life After Hate, represents an evidence-based attempt to professionalize the field by adopting an addiction-recovery model. The group claims to have helped 350 people exit violent extremist groups. Skeptics warn against shifting public money to these groups away from law enforcement.

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  • Veterans with PTSD have found physical activity is an effective treatment

    To help veterans struggling to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder, the Phoenix VA Health Care System has started using sports and outdoor recreation as a means of therapy. Although it does not replace medications or act as a cure-all, this practice has been shown to reduce symptoms and can lead to a reduction in medications.

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  • Treating Mothers' Trauma as a Way to Prevent Youth Violence

    In Ann Arbor, Michigan, the program Sisters United Resilient and Empowered, also called SURE Moms, offers counseling to mothers in an effort to address their trauma, and thus have an effect on their entire families. With research showing the connection between home life and criminal behavior, SURE Moms gives women the opportunity to provide their children with emotional support by giving them that same emotional support. What started as an informal bible study group is now funded by the city and offers regular, twice per week classes.

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  • The Old Asylum Is Gone: Today A Mental Health System Serves All

    In Trieste, Italy, accessing mental health care resources is made easier by an approach that allows for people to seek assistance without the fear of being punished. In most cases throughout the region, mental health centers act as first responders and treatment facilities are open-door with very few instances of coercive treatment initiated. While individuals report that this model of care is successful, another element of success includes the employment rate of patients.

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  • Can You Cure a Domestic Abuser?

    Duluth’s Domestic Abuse Intervention Project has served for decades as a model for men’s counseling groups that courts often mandate in lieu of incarceration after abuse leads to criminal charges. But a deep look at its methods, which are rooted in challenging men’s patriarchal views and pushing them to take responsibility for their behavior, shows that its rejection of other behavioral influences calls into question its entire approach to truly solving the problem. A solid body of research finds the approach minimally effective, at best, and that other forms of group therapy can be more effective.

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  • They were paralyzed and alone. Here's what's happened since they started a gunshot survivor group.

    In the first six months of its existence, a support group for paralyzed gunshot survivors provided both emotional support and sharing of tips on getting the help its members need to regain control over their lives. Led by a victims' advocate who eventually plans to hand off her facilitator role to someone from the community it serves, the group has discussed everything from obtaining wheelchair lifts, accessible housing, and jobs to coping with anger and grief. Says one of the participants, "I had to learn everything myself. It doesn't have to be like that."

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  • Native Americans foster healing from domestic violence through community, tradition

    To help address domestic violence and intervene in crises such as suicide and addiction within Native American communities, a decades-old culture-based program offers workshops that "foster healing through embracing community and tradition." These Gathering of Native Americans programs, which are designed specifically with the audience in mind, focus on community members helping community members as a form of counseling.

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